Alaskan Pub Makes a Good Call with AI Phone Answering
Locals Pub & Pizzeria sees a 162% increase in online food orders year over year.
Locals Pub & Pizzeria is a single-location bar and grill located in Wasilla, Alaska known for their friendly, relaxing atmosphere, specialty menu items, and extensive selection of local and domestic brews. Despite struggling with inflation, staffing shortages, and supply chain issues, the restaurant managed to surpass $2.5 million in annual sales and has their eyes set on hitting $3 million in the coming years. To achieve this goal, Locals has implemented new technology tools that help them earn more revenue without adding more to the already lengthy to-do list that comes with running a restaurant.
The staff at Locals had their plates full with pressing tasks that were necessary to keep the business running, preventing them from picking up every phone call and resulting in missed sales. General Manager Samuel Smith saw an opportunity to grow their takeaway and online ordering business without hiring additional staff by using Popmenu AI Answering. The tool is an automated phone service that uses data from the restaurant's website to answer common questions and allows the restaurant to customize responses if they'd like.
In Locals' first five months with AI Answering, the tool has automatically fielded over 6,600 calls, saving the staff 53 hours from talking on the phone. Additionally, Answering sent 42% of those callers a link to place an online order via text—an automated action that Smith says contributed to the 132% increase in online orders the restaurant saw in their first 90 days with the solution. Smith also notes that before employing the tool, the restaurant received a large portion of calls from telemarketers, something that has since been eliminated.
Popmenu provided Locals additional cost savings through their first-party online ordering. By hosting online ordering directly on their website, the restaurant saved money from third-party commissions and collected contact information from over 2,000 guests. Smith took advantage of Popmenu's included email marketing tools to incentivize these guests to place additional orders with a 10% discount that earned the restaurant over $15k in revenue. The success of this campaign made it evident that Locals needed dedicated support to consistently market to their customers. Enter Boost, Popmenu's consultative marketing service.
“What interested me in Boost was having someone with experience from Popmenu who is familiar with the platform, and have that person market to these 2,000-plus new followers, either through text or email.”
In just three months with the marketing service, Locals has earned $4,300 in online ordering revenue from email marketing and generated just under 6,200 impressions on social media. By integrating these tools and services into a single platform, Locals can easily gauge Popmenu's impact on their goals, making the journey to $3 million in annual sales as measurable as it is achievable.
Locals Pub & Pizzeria is just one of thosands of restaurants using Popmenu to simplify their operations and grow their sales. Schedule a free demo with one of our experts to learn how you can do the same for your restaurant.
“For any restaurant owners considering Popmenu, I would tell them to get it. Why? Because it will save you time and make you money. Popmenu is an effective tool, and if you don’t use their solutions, you are losing out.”
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